While Enid was shaking Alex, tightly gripping him by the collar of his coat, Alex himself listened attentively to the entire stream of anger and irritation that had built up in her since arriving in Shepherd's Glen. Enid, in an irritated manner, recounted how she had to catch monsters and then hold them in place—all just because Wednesday wanted to play pathologist. She simply became curious about how monsters were built on the inside.
While Enid was shouting, Alex shifted his gaze to Wednesday. She, without changing a single facial feature, continued methodically writing something in her notebook. Alex noticed: Wednesday wasn't just writing—she was also sketching the monsters. He perfectly understood: Wednesday had already collected a huge amount of material for her future book.
Heather, sitting off to the side and watching Enid's emotional breakdown, also looked at Wednesday. She couldn't believe that someone could even think of dissecting a monster just to find out how it was built inside. But Enid didn't stop there. She continued complaining: they had to deal with creepy dogs, wander through the cemetery, then the junkyard, the sewers, and then the utterly unbearable creepy prison.
Alex lost count of how many times he heard the word "creepy" from Enid. He shifted his gaze to Lucina, Alice, and Samantha—they also added a few comments about what they had gone through. But mostly they remained restrained: Enid was already voicing everything they themselves wanted to say.
All Alex could do was sigh and silently accept the verbal flood coming from Enid. He wanted to find out exactly what they had done with the cultists from Shepherd's Glen. But seeing Enid's emotional state, he understood: now wasn't the time to ask such questions. Even without words it was clear—Lucina and Wednesday had taken care of those cultists who decided to stand in their way and interfere with stopping the ritual.
When Enid finally ran out of steam and stopped complaining, Alex simply hugged the girl and began gently stroking her back, helping her calm down completely. And while Alex was busy soothing Enid—who had once again had a nervous breakdown because of the problems she'd been dragged into—Alice, meanwhile, was braiding Alessa's hair.
Within a couple of minutes Alessa's hair was neatly braided into two pigtails—exactly like Wednesday's when she was a child. And with that hairstyle, Alessa looked exactly like Wednesday in her younger years.
For maximum effect, Alice smiled and sat Alessa down next to Wednesday.
"Now it's perfect. Okay, Alessa, don't move. Let me take your picture," Alice said, positioning Alessa beside Wednesday.
Wednesday, who had been writing in her notebook the whole time, slightly turned her head to look at Alessa. She examined her from head to toe and gave a barely noticeable nod—as if agreeing that the style really suited Alessa.
In Wednesday's mind the thought even flashed: to teach Alessa everything she herself had learned in her family, to pass on the knowledge of the Addams family. It would be even more amusing to imagine bringing Alessa to the family estate—and seeing the shocked faces of her parents when they saw her. Wednesday was already picturing the scene.
Alessa also looked at Wednesday—and felt no rejection from her cold, familiar gaze. While Alice tried to get the perfect shot—regardless of where they were—the other girls watched Wednesday and Alessa with interest, as similar as two drops of water. Even Heather was slightly surprised by the resemblance between Wednesday and Alessa.
Enid, whom Alex had just calmed down, immediately pulled out her phone—not missing the chance to take a few photos. Despite the fact that Wednesday hated being photographed, she chose to simply ignore it—as she always did.
"Even without filters the photo came out black and white," Enid said, chuckling slightly and showing the picture to the others.
Lucina and Samantha looked at the photo Enid had taken and also laughed quietly: indeed, the shot was black and white—because Wednesday and Alessa were dressed in black, and their faces were so pale they looked like corpses. In response Wednesday only sighed slightly and continued making notes in her diary, recording everything she had managed to learn.
Heather, watching all this, couldn't believe that Alex and his family were behaving so calmly and normally in such a place—in the musty motel of Silent Hill, where it smelled of dampness and dust. But at the same time, the atmosphere around them was such that everything happening felt like mere trifles.
Heather quickly remembered: Alex was Death, Enid was a werewolf, Alice was a vampire, Wednesday was a representative of an ancient family closely tied to the supernatural, Samantha was the heir of the Hunters family and the Men of Letters Order, just like Lucina.
Heather even began to think that she was the most normal one here. But then she immediately remembered: until recently she had been part of the soul of a girl who was sacrificed to resurrect some god.
"Alex, I forgot to give you this. Do you know what it is?" Lucina said, pulling three small boxes from her bag.
"What are they?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"These boxes appeared after we killed those monsters that the sacrificed children had turned into," Samantha explained.
Alex raised an eyebrow, took one box from Lucina's hands, and immediately opened it. Inside pulsed a ball of flesh—resembling an underdeveloped embryo. Frowning slightly, Alex opened the remaining two boxes—and inside were the same things: two more identical underdeveloped embryos.
He immediately understood: these were the so-called god embryos that the Order worshipped. The girls had already seen what was inside and reacted differently: from disgust to a desire to understand what these embryos were and why they appeared after killing the monsters the sacrificed children had become.
Heather, who had peeked at the contents of the boxes, immediately felt revulsion. Alessa, seeing these embryos, also recognized them. The sight of them triggered a surge of anger and rage in her—because exactly the same thing had once been part of her body, sustaining her life and preventing her from dying. Lucina immediately noticed the change in Alessa's behavior and began calming her, gently stroking her hair.
"So what is this? This thing looks disgusting. And why was it inside those children?" Enid said, her entire expression showing disgust.
"It's a god embryo that the Order worships. You already know without me explaining what's needed for it to be born in a body. It seems the part of the Order living in Shepherd's Glen also wanted to give birth to their god. But they took the easier path: instead of one sacrifice, they offered four—every fifty years. To grow this. They turned out much smarter than the idiots in Silent Hill," Alex said, chuckling slightly.
"So instead of growing the god seed all at once, they did it gradually—dividing it into four parts. I admit: clever move. But not well thought out—considering they screwed up in the last ritual," Wednesday said, closing her notebook.
"Wednesday, are you praising them or insulting them?" Lucina asked, resting her cheek on her hand.
"Does it matter? In any case, all their plans have already been ruined," Wednesday replied in her usual cold tone.
"Alright… Alex, what are you going to do with these embryos?" Lucina asked, shifting her gaze from Wednesday to Alex.
"Well, first we'll extract all the power from them, leaving only the darkness. Then we'll combine these embryos into one. And the dish that reveals true nature is ready," Alex said with a gleeful smirk.
The girls watched as Alex extracted all the power from the three embryos, then pulled another one from his pocket—this one larger. Everyone understood without words: this embryo was the one that had once been inside Alessa.
And Alessa herself understood it too. Seeing the thing in Alex's hands—the thing that had brought her so much suffering—she quickly calmed down, realizing why her former power remained in her while the darkness had disappeared.
Alessa looked at Alex—now her father—and understood his words when he said he would save her and protect her. Those thoughts brought her a strong sense of safety and joy—something she had wanted to feel for so long.
Heather, however, couldn't understand what Alex was doing. All she saw was him extracting something from the embryos and then combining them into one meat ball. But everyone had one question: who was Alex planning to feed this abomination to?
"And who are you planning to feed this thing to?" Heather asked, looking at Alex suspiciously.
"Who else? Obviously Claudia. That crazy bitch envied Alessa. Since she wants to become a god—let her become one. It'll be hilarious to see her face when she realizes she's been tricked. Did she really think that betraying my little princess would go unpunished? Oh no. I'm going to turn that bitch inside out. I hope playing with her will be way more fun than with Pennywise," Alex said, laughing maniacally and baring his sharp teeth.
Hearing Alex's words, the girls collectively sighed and shook their heads—already used to this kind of behavior from him. Alessa, hearing this, tilted her head slightly to the side and quickly realized what her new dad was aiming for. A light, cruel smile appeared on her face.
Heather, seeing the expression on Alex's face, took a slight step back—slightly frightened. At that moment she didn't see him as Death—more like a terrifying demon. Alice patted Heather on the shoulder, showing: this was normal behavior for Alex, and there was nothing surprising about it. Heather could only nod with difficulty, realizing that everyone was already used to it.
To change the subject, Heather wanted to know what Pennywise Alex was talking about. And when she learned about the entity that took the form of a clown and showed people their fears to then eat them—she simply nodded silently.
"Stop laughing like a mad villain. We need to get moving. We've rested enough. All that's left is to deal with the last part of the ritual—and for you to kill that crazy bitch," Lucina said, slapping Alex's hand to make him calm down.
"Oh, sorry. It came over me again. I just love ruining villains' plans so much that I can't help it," Alex said, clearing his throat dryly into his fist.
"In moments like this you sound even more like a villain than the ones you have to deal with," Alice said with a cheerful smile.
Alex rolled his eyes slightly, picked Alessa up in his arms with an offended look. Lucina, Alice, Samantha, and Enid quietly laughed at his behavior and quickly gathered their things. Heather noticed: only Lucina, Wednesday, and Samantha had weapons. Alice and Enid only had backpacks with supplies on their backs.
When everyone was ready, Alex—carrying Alessa in his arms—left the motel room and was the first to go downstairs. Now they needed to reach Lakeside Amusement Park—there was the secret passage to the Order's church.
Getting to Lakeside Park was no trouble: all the monsters on the way were already dead. Seeing the dead monsters, Alex couldn't help but look at Alessa, whom he was carrying on his shoulders. Alessa looked back at him with her black eyes—showing that it was because of her that all the monsters on their path were dead.
On the way to Lakeside Park, Heather managed to find common ground with Alice—she could befriend anyone thanks to her friendly nature.
Soon Alex's group reached the entrance to Lakeside Park. Around the gates lay dozens of monster corpses—sliced in half.
"I never thought an amusement park could look this creepy," Enid said, wrinkling her nose slightly.
"You haven't seen the amusement park we visited last time yet. There was a haunted house with real ghosts living in it. And in the boss's shadow lives the ghost of a ballerina," Alex said, holding Alessa's legs as she sat on his shoulders.
"So he has the same situation as you with Zhang Ya?" Samantha asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms while holding her katana.
"Well, you could say that," Alex replied, nodding.
"Zhang Ya?" Heather asked, overhearing the conversation.
In response Alex pointed downward with his finger. Heather lowered her gaze and saw that Alex's shadow had taken on familiar female outlines. She immediately remembered the girl in the red dress who had appeared suddenly—and disappeared just as suddenly, as though she had never been there. Having received the answer to her question, Heather nodded.
Alex looked ahead: the park gates had literally been smashed in. He became curious: had Alessa really sent the Pyramid Heads not only to clear their path but to kill everything alive in the amusement park?
Entering the park grounds, Alex glanced around—already accustomed to Silent Hill's typical grim atmosphere. But what interested him most was: why would someone build their church under an amusement park?
"Here we split up. We need to find the last part of the ritual. It should be on the lower levels of the church. Apparently," Lucina said, looking at Alex.
"Good luck to you. And I think I'll just knock on the front doors… Take care of yourselves, girls," Alex said with a smile, waving his hand.
"Just don't destroy everything again. I know how your 'knock on the front doors' usually ends. It's always the same," Lucina said, looking at Alex with a blank stare.
"I'm not promising anything. Maybe I can help you find the entrance to the lower levels?" Alex asked with a smile, shrugging.
"No need. I know how to get us to the right place," Wednesday said in her usual cold tone.
Lucina, Alice, Samantha, and Enid nodded, showing that Wednesday really did know how to access the alternate world—after all, it was thanks to her abilities that they had been finding the necessary transitions between worlds.
Alex smiled, formed a heart shape with his fingers toward Wednesday—which earned him a blank stare from her. Saying goodbye once more, Alex—with Alessa and Heather in tow—headed toward the main entrance to the church—which, strangely enough, was located underground.
The closer Alex got to the Order's church, the wider the smile on his face became. Alessa, sitting on his shoulders, lightly rested her hands on his head—already anticipating that soon everything would end and she would finally be free. After all, as Alex had said, soon her long nightmare would come to an end—and a new life would begin for her.
Heather, however, was slightly nervous about what might happen to her father. But Alex's presence greatly calmed her. She understood: he would have said if something serious had happened to her father.
"Here… Here's the entrance to the church. For a long time I couldn't enter this place," Alessa said, pointing to the entrance of the park administration building.
"I was already thinking we'd have to ride the roller coaster to get into the church," Heather said, looking up at Alex.
"Where did you get that idea?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just every time we entered the alternate world, we either went through strange doors, or fell down, or rode in an elevator. So I thought…" Heather said in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong. But not this time. Alright, forward—the final push, and then I get my well-deserved rest," Alex said, lighting a cigarette.
"Does Death even need to rest?" Heather asked doubtfully, looking at Alex.
"Don't ask stupid questions. I already told you: the main work of Death is done by another me. While I got a couple of nice bonuses. And anyway—they forced me to become Death. I already have a ton of work," Alex said, pinching Heather's nose.
Heather wanted to ask how someone could force a person to become Death—but she realized: Alex wouldn't answer such questions no matter how much she asked. And all she could do was guess.
Entering the administration building, Alex narrowed his eyes slightly, searching for the passage to the Order's church. He quickly noticed an image of the Order's church on one of the walls in the room. Approaching the wall, Alex moved the picture aside and saw a small recess.
Understanding what it was for, Alex pulled the Order badge from his pocket, inserted it into the slot, and turned it. There was a click of the mechanism activating—and the wall began slowly sliding aside. Because no one had used this passage in a long time, the wall couldn't fully open.
Sighing, Alex kicked the wall—and knocked it out. Behind the wall opened a long corridor descending downward. Torches burned along the walls of the entire descent. Heather peeked out from behind Alex and also saw the long downward passage.
"Why do I get the impression that all these cults build their churches according to the same template? Or maybe there's a guide somewhere called 'How to Build a Church for a Crazy Cult'?" Alex said, looking at the downward passage.
"So the Order isn't the only cult like this?" Alessa asked, leaning forward while sitting on Alex's shoulders.
"Hmm… It's not about the cults themselves, but about the people who create them. Mostly it all comes down to people. If it weren't for people—there wouldn't be any cults… Anyway, it doesn't matter. If I start reasoning on this topic it'll take even more time. And I already want to finish this," Alex said, waving his hand to show he wasn't going to develop the topic of cults.
Alessa nodded slightly—but she believed that cults like the Order brought only suffering to people. Heather thought the same: she saw nothing positive in the Order—even if their goal was to create the so-called paradise. But throughout her time in Silent Hill she hadn't seen even a hint of the paradise the Order strove for—only the Hell they had created with their own hands and condemned themselves to suffer in.
Glancing once more into the long downward passage, Alex lit a cigarette and began descending the stairs. All he cared about right now was finishing his work, then getting some rest and maybe visiting a couple of places to unwind.
Heather followed behind Alex, cautiously looking ahead. As they descended, all they heard was the echo of their footsteps, the crackling of torches, and the light melody Alex was humming as he walked ahead.
Reaching the very bottom, Alex, Heather, and Alessa found themselves in a very spacious cave—resembling a huge mining shaft with high ceilings. The only structure in this place was the Order's church—light burning inside.
Examining the place, Alex remembered: Silent Hill had been a mining town. It wasn't surprising that the Order's church was built here.
"Everything's in its place. So it's time to greet the locals," Alex said, smirking slightly.
"You mean—scare them?" Heather asked, looking at Alex.
"Possibly. And at the same time show these idiots the face of the one they consider their savior. That'll be fun," Alex said, continuing to smile.
Alessa gripped Alex's head tighter—she didn't like this place that had brought her so much suffering. Feeling Alessa's anxiety, Alex took the girl's hand and gently squeezed it—showing he was there. From such a gesture Alessa relaxed.
Despite the fact that inside Alessa there still burned a desire for revenge, after she regained the bright part of her soul, her emotions became mixed—between sadness and a thirst for revenge.
Approaching the main gates of the Order's church, Alex saw large wooden doors—no one was guarding them. He understood: they didn't need guards for their church doors—after all, their stupid faith in a deity protected them.
Alex and Heather stopped in front of the church doors. Alex pulled both parts of the Metatron Seal from his pocket and combined them. Assembling the seal, he looked at Heather—she nodded with a serious expression. Then he raised his gaze to Alessa—she had calmed down and now looked as calmly as always.
Making sure everyone was ready, Alex grinned widely and raised his leg. He kicked the doors of the Order's church—literally smashing them in.
The moment he kicked the doors in, a hum of voices rang out inside the church, and people began scattering in all directions. Claudia, standing behind the altar, shifted her gaze from the Order's bible and looked at the smashed doors. Seeing who had come, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Good day, ladies and gentlemen. A wonderful evening to die. Don't you think?" Alex said, stepping onto the church grounds.
In that same moment panic erupted among the parishioners—people began backing away from the entrance and staying as far as possible. All this time Claudia remained silent, staring at Alessa sitting on Alex's shoulders.
Despite the chaos among the parishioners, Claudia tried to understand how Alessa had managed to end up in this place—after all, she shouldn't have been able to enter here.
Alex cast a brief glance at Claudia—she looked very grim and thoughtful. White gray hair, thin face, dull gray eyes, and the priestess's robe slightly stained with ash. Alex quickly lost interest in Claudia and shifted his gaze behind her—and saw Harry Mason tied to the Order's cross. From his appearance it was clear: he hadn't simply been held captive—they had beaten him so he couldn't escape.
Seeing her father's condition, Heather wanted to rush forward—regardless of the large number of cultists and Claudia. Alex placed a hand on Heather's shoulder and shook his head—showing he would handle it himself.
"He brought the demon child!.." one of the Order members shouted, but his voice was immediately cut off.
Amid the panic and screams came a click—and the shouting cultist exploded. His blood splattered in all directions, hitting those standing nearby. In that same moment a heavy silence fell over the church—everyone was even afraid to breathe after one of them died in such a horrific way.
All the cultists as one shifted their gaze toward the doors—and looked at Alex. His hand was raised in the gesture of snapping his fingers.
Seeing how one of their parishioners had died, Claudia's eyes narrowed even more—when she realized that what had come was no ordinary human.
"Does anyone else want to call my daughter a demon child? Go ahead. Be brave. Only now you won't be met with a peaceful death," Alex said in a cold tone, sweeping his gaze over all the church parishioners.
"It's the devil…" a woman screamed in panic.
And in that same moment an iron stake emerged from her shadow—piercing her straight through. Complete silence finally fell over the church. Everyone stared at the impaled woman who continued twitching from spasms.
Blood slowly dripped down the iron stake onto the floor—which caused the parishioners to begin retreating as far as possible, considering this a manifestation of impurity.
"Since one of you called me the devil—fine then. So… Claudia Wolf. Let's make a deal. I'll give you what you desire so much. In exchange you give me Harry Mason. Excellent deal, don't you think?" Alex said calmly with a smile on his face.
"Look around, devil. This is our sanctuary. The only place inaccessible to darkness. Here your power means nothing. But our god is with us again. You yourself brought us the one who will give birth to our god. And we will finally ascend to our paradise," Claudia replied in a fanatical tone.
Claudia's fanatical voice echoed throughout the church, and with her words all the Order members immediately became inspired and began shouting words calling to expel Alex and Alessa from the church.
Alex looked at this fanaticism with empty eyes, feeling a strange sensation from the fact that they were trying to drive him away in this way. Alessa, sitting on Alex's shoulders, also felt rather strange, fully sensing the absurdity of the situation. In the past the Order's faith could have expelled her, but now to her it simply sounded like screams.
Alex massaged the bridge of his nose, feeling only a headache from these shouts. At that moment he wanted to ask what these people were thinking, trying to drive him away with cries of faith and that their god protected them.
Sighing, Alex looked at Claudia—whose face literally radiated arrogance—and simply shook his head. He moved his finger slightly—and Harry Mason, who had been tied to the cross, immediately appeared beside him.
Heather was momentarily stunned but immediately caught her father, while the arrogance on Claudia's face instantly turned to shock. Claudia immediately turned her head—and didn't see Harry tied to the cross. She turned back, and Alex—with a cheerful smile—wagged his finger back and forth at her.
Gradually the cultists' shouts began to die down as it dawned on them that their faith could do nothing to Alex and Alessa.
"What's wrong? I thought you'd keep shouting for a long time. Come on, all together: 'Begone, demon!'… No? Oh well. Alright, you have fun here—keep believing in your paradise, in your god. And we'll be going," Alex said in a cheerful tone, waving goodbye and preparing to take Heather and Harry away from this place.
"Seize the heretics and the vessel for God!" Claudia shouted when she saw that her plans were about to be ruined.
In that same moment the Order members grabbed weapons and rushed toward Alex, Heather, and Harry. But the moment they got close enough—the shadow of Alex lengthened, and Wendigos emerged from it, their bodies covered in red veins.
The Wendigos immediately attacked the nearest Order members and tore them apart. The Order members were frightened not only by the appearance of the monsters but also by the fact that the bodies of the dead were swallowed by the shadow.
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Claudia—and in that same moment grinned widely. Those Order members who wanted to stop Alex's group from leaving froze in place, not daring to move. The mere sight of the Wendigos triggered animal fear in them.
"Go ahead, keep attacking. My wife's pets are hungry. Or is your faith not strong enough to die for it? So you're not such believers after all," Alex said with a slight smirk and waved to Heather to take her father away.
"How dare you doubt our faith, devil! Spawn of evil! Our god has always protected us from impurity!" Claudia shouted, noticing that the Order members had begun to waver.
"Oh, what are you saying. God, you say. Fine. This is what your god looks like. Isn't this what you wanted so badly to absorb?" Alex said, pulling the boxes from his pocket.
Alex opened the box—and all the Order members saw a pulsating lump of flesh resembling an underdeveloped dark embryo.
But what happened next made Alex raise an eyebrow: all the Order members fell to their knees and began reciting a prayer. Alex even thought that this wasn't what he had expected.
Claudia stared at the embryo of their god with reverence—as though she had seen the greatest miracle—and also fell to her knees, folding her hands in prayer.
At that moment Alex understood: fanatics are fanatics—in any form.
Alex raised his gaze to Alessa—and with his eyes asked: are they all this insane here? The sight of the praying Order members caused only anger in Alessa—and she looked at them all with her black eyes, wanting to kill them.
Noticing Alex's gaze, Alessa's expression softened slightly—and she showed that she simply wanted to leave.
"Since this is your god—take it. It's disgusting for me to even carry this thing in my pocket," Alex said, tossing the box toward Claudia.
Claudia, with a panicked expression, rushed to catch the box. Alex turned and left—but a wide grin was on his face. He eagerly awaited what would happen next.
Alessa cast one last glance at Claudia—as though finally saying goodbye to the one she had once been friends with. Then she looked away and rested on Alex's head—deciding to focus on her new family. Everything that had happened to her in the past could stay in the past—like a nightmare she was ready to forget.
Claudia, with a fanatical expression, caught the box and pressed it to her chest. Because she believed that only she was worthy of this divine power—to rebuild the world, cleanse all sinners, and create true paradise.
Alex exited the church with Alessa and saw Heather—who was trying to help her father. Alex approached Heather and touched Harry's forehead with his fingers. When Harry opened his eyes—he squinted slightly, looking around.
"Dad!" Heather shouted, hugging Harry.
"Heather? You shouldn't have come for me," Harry said after Heather hugged him.
"Alright, family reunion later. Right now we need to get away from this place," Alex said, interrupting the family idyll right at the start.
"You… Alessa?" Harry said, raising his gaze to Alex—and immediately saw Alessa sitting on his shoulders.
"All questions later, Harry. Now get your ass off the ground—and quickly follow me. There's going to be a slaughter here soon," Alex said, kicking Harry lightly so he would stand up faster.
"You gave her that thing?" Heather asked, understanding what Alex was getting at.
"What thing?" Harry asked, not understanding what was happening.
"The god embryo. Let Claudia become a deity. And we'll watch as she kills everyone herself," Alex said, chuckling slightly.
"Dad, I'll explain everything to you later. Come on, get up—we need to leave this place," Heather said, pulling Harry by the hand.
Harry nodded in shock—not fully understanding what was happening here. Especially what interested him: who Alex was, why Alessa was with his daughter, and what was really going on.
Seeing that her father had many questions, Heather didn't know where to start explaining. But she understood: there was no time for that—everything could happen in the next moment.
To be continued…
(Ugh, I actually wanted to finish this chapter. But by the middle, I realized I wouldn't be able to. So I figured that after finishing Silent Hill, Alex would take a short break from work, during which a few family events would occur. What events, you might want to ask. Well, that's the usual top secret. Now I'm going to go eat.)
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